1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a connector apparatus for hardware in which a connector extends outwardly from a casing.
2. Description of the Related Art
A connector apparatus for hardware in which a connector extends out from a casing is disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,319 and is shown in FIG. 6 herein. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a conventional connector apparatus for hardware. In this connector apparatus, as shown in FIG. 6, a printed board 2 is accommodated in a casing 1. PCB connectors 3 are attached to an edge of the printed board 2. Fitting ports 4 having hoods 5 are open in a sidewall of the casing 1. The printed board 2 is contained in the casing 1 and the respective PCB connectors 3 are disposed inside the corresponding fitting ports 4 having the hoods 5. A mating connector is inserted into the fitting port 4 to be connected to the corresponding PCB connector. Such connector apparatus is effective in, for example, a simple seal structure.
On the other hand, such a connector apparatus may sometimes have to be made of a metallic material, such as aluminum or the like, to dissipate heat effectively. In particular, portions of the fitting ports 4 having the hoods 5 cannot be formed integrally from a synthetic resin material, and must be formed by a machining process. This makes it difficult to produce the casing 1. Even if the casing 1 is formed by die-casting, it is necessary to finish inner surfaces of the hoods 5 into smooth planes by a secondary working, since the inner surfaces of the hoods 5 may serve as seal surfaces. This is troublesome.
It is also difficult to align the centers of the respective PCB connectors 3 accurately with the centers of the corresponding fitting ports 4. Consequently, the PCB connector cannot fit a mating connector regularly. The worst case will result in contact malfunction between terminals.
In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a connector apparatus that simplifies a structure of a casing and interconnects connectors coaxially.
A connector apparatus for hardware according to the invention comprises a casing having an attachment hole in a sidewall thereof. The connector apparatus further includes a hardware side connector having terminals. The hardware side connector is inserted in the casing so as to be disposed inside the attachment hole. A relay connector is provided with relay terminals and has an end with an inner connector section adapted to fit the hardware side connector and has an opposed end with an outer connector section adapted to fit a mating connector. The relay connector can be attached to the sidewall with the inner connector section disposed through the attachment hole in the casing.
The attachment hole of the connector apparatus preferably has enough of a clearance to pass the inner connector section of the relay connector through the hole.
In the assembling process of the connector apparatus, the hardware side connector is contained in the casing that is to be disposed inside the attachment hole. The inner connector section of the relay connector passes through the attachment hole and fits the hardware side connector in the casing. Then, the relay connector is fixed on the sidewall of the casing and the outer connector section of the relay connector fits the mating connector. The terminals in the mating connector are connected through the relay terminals to the terminals in the hardware side connector.
The casing has a simple structure in which only the attachment hole is provided in the sidewall. Thus, the casing can be made of a metallic material, for example, aluminum or the like. Also, the relay terminals of the relay connector are regularly connected to the terminals of the hardware side connector beforehand and the mating connector is coupled to the outer connector section of the relay connector in which the relay terminals are disposed. Therefore, it is possible to interconnect the corresponding terminals of the hardware side connector and mating connector reliably through the relay terminals.
Since it is possible to displace the inner connector section of the relay connector in the attachment hole, it becomes easy to interconnect the hardware side connector and mating connector in the narrow casing.